A Friendship Firm As Time
by GoldGuardian2418
Summary: Uno and Melinda are proof that a true friendship is never broken. Sequel to my other story "Finally Reunited For Christmas" and done as a request for Guestspeaker3509. :)


**Guestspeaker3509 asked for this one. Here you go, Amigo! Sorry it took me so long! Enjoy! :)**

 **Rudolph And The Island Of Misfit Toys and all characters associated with the movies belong to their respective owners. I only own Melinda.**

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 **A Friendship Firm As Time**

Melinda giggled as she skated around the inside of the palace with her father, Snow Miser, teaching her how to skate. "Lean carefully," he said. "And let the movements come naturally."

The fourteen-year-old took a deep breath and skated carefully and gracefully. As this was her first time ice skating, she was actually doing pretty good.

Uno, the mysterious puppet and Melinda's best friend, was watching her, smiling as he adjusted his wide-brimmed hat. "You can do it, Melly," he said encouragingly.

She smiled at him gratefully before taking a deep breath and leaping into the air, pulling of a triple spin and landing somewhat gracefully, but her legs were bent too much, making the landing look a bit sloppy. "Shoot. Didn't quite get it," she said.

"It can be tricky landing after doing a triple spin," her father said gently. "Though you did pull off that trick very well."

Uno jumped down to the ice and skated towards them in his boots. "Try like a swan," he said before going to demonstrate, but it was difficult to pull such a trick in boots. Melinda held in her giggles and whispered something to her father, who smiled and used his ice magic to form ice skates for the puppet, who accepted them gratefully and demonstrated the trick again.

Seeing what he meant about being like a swan, the teenager followed her best friend's lead, skating and preparing herself before again pulling off a triple spin, landing with one leg stretched out gracefully behind her and her other leg slightly bent as she landed. Grinning, she skated up to Uno and lifted him up, making him squeak in surprise before he laughed, hugging her as she hugged him.

Snow Miser came up to them, hugging both of them as Melinda rested her head on his shoulder. A bell then rang and the kind ice ruler noticed the time. "I'm afraid duty calls, sugar plum," he said to his daughter.

"Can we do some more ice skating later, Dad?" She asked hopefully.

He smiled. "Yes, sweetheart," he said, gently pinching her cheek in affection.

Melinda and Uno headed for the teenager's room, laughing as they danced down the hallway, skating a bit too before coming to a graceful stop by the door. "Uno, it's been almost a year since we've been reunited," Melinda said.

"Yes, it has been," he replied before looking a bit sad. "It seems a bit like a dream almost."

She hugged him. "Uno, don't think about that," she said gently, knowing her favorite puppet still had some fears about being abandoned and was still trying to forgive himself for the upset and hurt he had caused the year prior and the seven years before that.

He sighed. "Melly, though Santa and the others forgave me...I did so much harm over the seven years I was separated from you," he said.

"Uno, you felt you had been abandoned," she said, her voice still gentle. "I felt the same way too when my parents died and I felt like a horrible friend when I couldn't go back to find you. If I could have been allowed to take one thing besides my clothes, it would have been you."

The puppet looked at her, taking off his hat to reveal his black-clothed face, his eyes looking sad. "I wish I had taken the time to find you instead of...becoming the Toy Taker," he said.

Melinda looked thoughtful. "But Uno...if you hadn't become the Toy Taker...you wouldn't have been stopped by Rudolph, Santa, and the others and shown that I didn't forget you and that I was searching for you," she said. "You didn't know I was still looking for you until Santa told you, did you?"

"No, I didn't," he replied. "But...I did hold hope that...you hadn't forgotten about me and maybe I would someday find you."

He paused. "Maybe that's why I went to all those houses in the first place," he realized. "I was looking for you and when I couldn't find you, I began taking the toys because I was jealous of them having someone who loved them and...I didn't want them to become like me, a bitter toy."

The teenager hugged him. "See? You had good intentions, Uno, even if they were a little misguided," she said. "And the toys and Santa forgave you. And I forgave you too, though I didn't blame you for feeling like I had abandoned you."

He looked at her before noticing she looked sad. "I was actually worried that you wouldn't want to be near me because I didn't come back for you then," she admitted. "I thought you would be angry at me and...never want to come back."

Uno placed both his hands on Melinda's face, holding her face gently as his mittens soaked up a few tears that fell from the girl's eyes. "Melly, I could never be angry at you," he said softly. "I was sad because I thought I had been abandoned, but I was never angry at you and I would never leave you."

She looked at him and he smiled. "When Santa showed me your letter, I felt so happy, happier than I had been in years, and I was overwhelmed with the fact that you still wanted me and that you were searching for me. And when Santa said he'd bring me to you, I was nervous that maybe you'd change your mind after learning about what I had done, but when you held me in a hug for the first time in seven years, I knew your mind was made up. You still wanted me, no matter what."

"Of course I did," she said, sniffling a little as she smiled at him. "We'd both been hurting for a long time and when we were finally reunited, we both began healing."

Uno nodded before hugging her and she hugged him back before her smile grew mischievous and she moved one hand, gently wiggling her fingers into Uno's side.

The puppet let out a surprised yelp at that before chuckling and moving away, but Melinda grinned and pounced on him, her wiggling fingers going right for her friend's ribs and underarms.

Feeling that, Uno burst into laughter, squirming as he was tickled. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He laughed.

"Tickle, tickle, tickle, Uno!" The teenager said teasingly. "Remember when I found out you were ticklish?"

After learning he was real when she was seven years old, Melinda had been curious and tickled him to see if he'd laugh. He had and it had only prompted the young girl to tickle him more. But the tables turned on her because later that day, he had snuck up on her and tickled her to pieces, making her laugh happily.

Uno got a little embarrassed as he recalled the memory but then smirked and moved suddenly, surprising Melinda, who had no time to react as the puppet tickled her stomach, making her laugh and fall gently to the floor as he kept tickling her.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" She laughed out.

"Cootchie, cootchie, coo, Melly!" Uno cooed to her. "Look how ticklish you are! The tickle monster's got you!"

She squealed as he then tickled her neck, making her scrunch up her neck into her shoulders, but was still giggling as he just kept tickling her, letting her up when he saw her face turn red.

Giggling, Melinda sat up and pulled Uno into a warm hug. "I love you, Uno," she said with a smile.

"I love you too, Melly," he said, nuzzling his cheek against hers.

Snow Miser, who had been watching without the two knowing, smiled at the scene. His daughter and her best friend had a friendship as firm as time and he didn't doubt that when Melly had children, Uno would be a big part of her children's lives too.

The thought made him smile again.

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 **GoldGuardian2418**


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